One More Time
The New York alley is finished. I want to do this same alley in a vertical composition with a different palette. It seems odd to want to do the same subject twice - that’s unusual for me - but in this case, I really want to pull a different piece from the same subject as a challenge.
I made a simple drawing on tracing paper and prepared my board today. I’m using tinted wax for my first layer. This is reclaimed wax from past pieces that I filtered through cheesecloth and am using as my ground. Most of this will be carved away as I paint in my first layers.
I came up with three blues that work nicely together (one not pictured) - each has some green in it which you can’t see in this photo. Also, I have three warm colors to work with - the one to the far right is muted and will tame the other two if they are too bold. I want bold colors in my first layers because the clear layers of isolating medium will dull them as I build.
As I work, these colors will mingle to a degree as I drop my brushes in and all will become less pure, which will suit my purposes. You’ll notice I’ve already gotten blue in the persimmon pan. I’m not trying to keep these colors entirely separated. As I work toward the top layers of my encaustic, new colors will be created by the “dipping” but they’ll be harmonious and in my opinion, more sophisticated than what you see here. In fact, the “blue” pan in the rear is where I’m dropping my scrapings that are minglings of all these colors - it will be a dull, muddy color that will probably be beautiful.
I had time this afternoon to carve away and fill three areas. At least I was able to try my colors on the board. At this point, there really can’t be any errors in my opinion - unless the colors are dead and disappointing. If I’m intrigued at this point then each decision I make moving forward will be determined by what I see here. How can a starting point be wrong?
Starting is never wrong. And if it feels good, it’s right. KEEPING it right is where the work comes in.
